WO2024122000A1

WO2024122000A1 - Tool changer

Info

Publication number: WO2024122000A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/045177
Authority: WO
Inventors: 学五十部
Original assignee: ファナック株式会社
Priority date: 2022-12-07
Filing date: 2022-12-07
Publication date: 2024-06-13

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to facilitate an overlap of operations for gripping and releasing tools with other operations of an arm. This tool changer comprises a magazine, an arm, and a grip interlocking mechanism. The magazine has a magazine body and multiple tool pots attached to the magazine body. One of the multiple tool pots is placed in a changing position by rotation of the magazine body. The arm has first and second gripping members. The arm uses one of the gripping members to remove a tool to be used next from the tool pot in the changing position and attach this tool to a main spindle, and the other gripping member to remove a previously used tool from the main spindle and attach this tool to the tool pot in the changing position. The grip interlocking mechanism causes the magazine-side gripping member to rotate to grip/release the tool in an interlocked manner with movement of the arm relative to the magazine, and the main spindle-side gripping member to rotate to grip/release the tool in an interlocked manner with the movement of the arm relative to the main spindle.

Description

Tool Changer

This disclosure relates to a tool changer that changes tools attached to the spindle of a machine tool.

Some tool changers remove a previously used tool, which is one of a number of tools, from the spindle and attach a next-to-be-used tool, which is different from the previously used tool, to the spindle.

JP 2008-132555 A

More specifically, a possible tool changing device is one that includes a magazine and an arm. The magazine has multiple tool pots to which tools can be attached, and the magazine rotates around a horizontal axis to position one of the multiple tool pots at the lowest changing position. The arm has two gripping parts. The arm rotates slightly in a specific direction about the vertical direction to cause one gripping part to grip the next tool to be used in the tool pot at the changing position, and the other gripping part to grip the previously used tool on the spindle. In this state, the arm descends to remove the next tool to be used from the tool pot and the previously used tool from the spindle.

The arm then rotates 180 degrees vertically. This swaps the positions of the next tool to be used and the previously used tool. The arm then rises, attaching the next tool to be used to the spindle and attaching the previously used tool to the tool pot. From this state, the arm rotates slightly in the opposite direction to the aforementioned specified direction, causing the gripping portion on the spindle side to release its grip on the next tool to be used and the gripping portion on the magazine side to release its grip on the previously used tool.

The present inventors have noted that such a configuration has the following problems. When gripping and releasing the next-to-be-used tool and the previously-used tool by slightly rotating the arm in the vertical direction, it is necessary to firmly stop the arm's rotation and then move the arm in the vertical direction relative to the magazine and the spindle. This makes it difficult to overlap other arm movements, such as raising and lowering the arm, with the acceleration and deceleration movements for gripping and releasing the tools. This makes it difficult to shorten the cycle time for tool change.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to make it easier to overlap other arm movements with movements for gripping and releasing a tool.

The tool changing device of the present disclosure is
A tool changing device for removing a previously used tool as one of a plurality of tools from a spindle of a machine tool and attaching a next-use tool as the tool different from the previously used tool to the spindle, comprising:
a magazine including a rotatable magazine body and a plurality of tool pots attached to the magazine body, each of the tool pots being capable of mounting a tool therein, and one of the plurality of tool pots being disposed at a replacement position by rotation of the magazine body;
an arm having first and second gripping members each rotatable about a direction perpendicular to the axial length of the spindle, the arm removing the next-to-be-used tool from the tool pot at the replacement position and attaching it to the spindle by one of the gripping members, and removing the previously-used tool from the spindle by the other gripping member and attaching it to the tool pot at the replacement position;
a gripping interlocking mechanism which rotates the gripping member on the magazine side to grip and release the tool in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm with respect to the magazine, and rotates the gripping member on the spindle side to grip and release the tool in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm with respect to the spindle.

The present disclosure makes it easier to overlap other arm movements with movements for gripping and releasing a tool.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a tool exchange device according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the arm and pot interlocking mechanism. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the tool pot and tools at a storage angle. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the tool pot and tool at an exchange angle. FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a holding portion of the tool pot. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an arm, an arm lifting device, and an arm rotating device. 4 is a plan sectional view showing a gripping portion of the gripping member. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic view of an arm. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a state in which the gripping member has been rotated to a release angle; FIG. 13 is a front view showing two gripping members typically shifted in a second direction. FIG. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic initial state of a rotational operation of the gripping member on the spindle side; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 11 is a front view showing an initial state of a tool changing operation. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of an initial state of a rotation operation in the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a subsequent rotation operation. FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating a tool exchange device according to a third embodiment. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which the arm has been rotated to an access angle; FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a control system of the tool exchange device. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for tool replacement. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a control system of a tool exchange device according to a fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for controlling the moving speed of an arm. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of another example of control of the moving speed of the arm.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the present disclosure.

[First embodiment]
The tool exchange device 100 shown in Fig. 1 is installed relative to a machine tool 200 as shown in Fig. 2. Hereinafter, three predetermined directions that are perpendicular to one another will be referred to as "left-right direction X", "front-back direction Y", and "up-down direction Z".

As shown in FIG. 2, the machine tool 200 has a spindle assembly 210. The spindle assembly 210 has a spindle 215 that is installed with its axial length oriented in the vertical direction Z, and a housing 211 that covers the spindle 215, and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction Z.

As shown in FIG. 2, one of the multiple tools T is attached to the lower end of the spindle 215. Hereinafter, the tool T of the multiple tools T that has been attached to the spindle 215 so far will be referred to as the "previously used tool Tp," and the tool T of the multiple tools T that will be next attached to the spindle 215 will be referred to as the "next used tool Tn."

The tool changer 100 automatically removes the previously used tool Tp from the spindle 215 and attaches the next tool Tn to the spindle 215. The tool changer 100 has a magazine 30, an arm 50, a pot interlocking mechanism 40, and a gripping interlocking mechanism 60.

First, we will explain the magazine 30. As shown in Figure 1, the magazine 30 has a magazine body 39 and multiple tool pots 33.

The magazine body 39 is configured to be rotatable around an axis in the left-right direction X. A plurality of tool pots 33 are attached to the magazine body 39. By rotating the magazine body 39, one of the plurality of tool pots 33 is positioned at the lowest "exchange position P," which serves as a standby position for tool exchange.

As shown in FIG. 7, each tool pot 33 has a holding portion 34 to which a tool T can be attached. The tool pot 33 is connected to the magazine body 39 by the holding portion 34 so as to be rotatable about an axis in the front-rear direction Y. In other words, the holding portion 34 for attaching the tool T also serves as the rotation axis of the tool pot 33. The holding portion 34 allows the tool pot 33 to rotate between a storage angle Pa and an exchange angle Pb shown in FIG. 5 at the exchange position P shown in FIG. 4. The storage angle Pa is the angle at which the tool pot 33 falls in the left-right direction X as shown in FIG. 4. The exchange angle Pb is the angle at which the tool pot 33 stands up in the up-down direction Z as shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, each tool pot 33 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens downward when at the exchange angle Pb. A tool T is attached to each tool pot 33 by inserting the upper end of the tool T into the holding portion 34 from below. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper end of each tool T is provided with an annular upper engagement groove Ga that extends around the up-down direction Z. The holding portion 34 has a pair of clamping

members

34a, 34a that can engage with the upper engagement groove Ga from both sides in the front-rear direction Y, and clamping

springs

34b, 34b that bias the

clamping members

34a, 34a in a direction that brings them closer to each other. With this structure, the holding portion 34 is configured to be able to attach a tool T.

Furthermore, each holding portion 34 has a pair of

cylindrical storage members

34c, 34c that respectively store clamping

springs

34b, 34b. At least the outer periphery of each storage member 34c is axially symmetrical. The tool pot 33 is rotatably attached to the magazine body 39 by this pair of

storage members

34c, 34c. As shown in FIG. 6, a notch 38 is formed in the outer periphery of the tool pot 33 on the side facing the direction from the storage angle Pa toward the exchange angle Pb. The function of this notch 38 will be described later.

Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the tool pot 33 arranged at the exchange angle Pb in the exchange position P will be simply referred to as the "tool pot 33 at exchange angle Pb." Furthermore, removing the next tool Tn to be used from the "holding portion 34 of the tool pot 33" will be simply referred to as removing the next tool Tn to be used from the "tool pot 33." Furthermore, attaching the previously used tool Tp to the "holding portion 34 of the tool pot 33" will be simply referred to as attaching the previously used tool Tp to the "tool pot 33."

Next, the arm 50 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The arm 50 removes the next tool Tn from the tool pot 33 at the exchange angle Pb and attaches it to the spindle 215, and also removes the previously used tool Tp from the spindle 215 and attaches it to the tool pot 33 at the exchange angle Pb.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 15, the arm 50 has an arm body 59, a first gripping member 51, and a second gripping member 52. Hereinafter, the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52 will be collectively referred to as "gripping

members

51, 52." In addition, below, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 12, a predetermined horizontal direction based on the arm body 59 will be referred to as the "first direction Ya," and a horizontal direction perpendicular to it will be referred to as the "second direction Xa." In the basic state of the arm 50, the first direction Ya is the front-to-back direction Y, and the second direction Xa is the left-to-right direction X.

As shown in FIG. 12, the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52 are arranged offset from each other in the first direction Ya when viewed in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. 13, when viewed from one side in the first direction Ya, the first gripping member 51 has an inverted L-shape extending downward and then to one side in the second direction Xa, and the second gripping member 52 has an L-shape extending downward and then to the other side in the second direction Xa. The upper ends of the gripping

members

51 and 52 are attached to the arm body 59 by their respective shaft members 55 so as to be rotatable about the axis in the first direction Ya. A gripping portion 54 is provided at the tip end, which is the end in the second direction Xa, of the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52.

In other words, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 12, when viewed in the up-down direction Z, the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52 are supported rotatably about the first direction Ya with their gripping portions 54 facing opposite sides of the second direction Xa. This rotation causes each of the gripping

members

51, 52 to be displaced to a gripping angle Qb shown in FIG. 13 for gripping the tool T, and a release angle Qa shown in FIG. 14 for releasing the grip of the tool T. As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, when viewed in the first direction Ya, the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52 partially overlap each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, the gripping portion 54 has a U-shape that opens toward the tip side, i.e., toward one side in the second direction Xa, and is configured so that the upper part of the tool T can be inserted therein. Specifically, below the upper engagement groove Ga at the top of the tool T, an engagement recess Gc and a lower engagement groove Gb are provided. The gripping portion 54 has an engagement protrusion 54c, a pair of

engagement members

54a, 54a, and a pair of engagement springs 54b, 54b. The engagement protrusion 54c is provided on the opposite side of the gripping portion 54 from the tip side, protrudes toward the tip side, and is configured so as to be able to engage with the engagement recess Gc. The pair of

engagement members

54a, 54a are configured so as to be able to engage with the lower engagement groove Gb from both sides in the first direction Ya on the tip side of the center line of the tool T. The pair of engagement springs 54b, 54b urge the pair of

engagement members

54a, 54a in a direction in which they approach each other. With the above configuration, each gripping portion 54 is configured to be able to grip the tool T at three points.

The arm main body 59 shown diagrammatically in FIG. 13 is configured to be displaceable in the vertical direction Z and rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction Z. Hereinafter, of the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52, the gripping member whose gripping portion 54 is on the magazine 30 side will be referred to as the "grip member 51 on the magazine 30 side" or the "grip member 52 on the magazine 30 side" as appropriate for the drawings to be referenced. Also, of the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52, the gripping member whose gripping portion 54 is on the spindle 215 side will be referred to as the "grip member 52 on the spindle 215 side" or the "grip member 51 on the spindle 215 side" as appropriate for the drawings to be referenced.

Next, the pot interlocking mechanism 40 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The pot interlocking mechanism 40 rotates the tool pot 33 at the exchange position P from the storage angle Pa to the exchange angle Pb in conjunction with the relative descent of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30, and then rotates it back to the storage angle Pa. The pot interlocking mechanism 40 also rotates the tool pot 33 at the exchange position P from the storage angle Pa to the exchange angle Pb in conjunction with the relative ascent of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30, and then rotates it back to the storage angle Pa.

The pot interlocking mechanism 40 has an arm-side cam 41, a link roller 45, a link mechanism 46, and a pot roller 48. The link roller 45 is attached to the upper end of the link mechanism 46. When the link roller 45 is displaced toward the magazine 30, the lower end of the link mechanism 46 rises, and when the link roller 45 is displaced toward the arm 50, the lower end of the link mechanism 46 descends. The arm-side cam 41 is provided on the arm body 59 and abuts against the link roller 45. The link roller 45 is biased against the arm-side cam 41 by the weight of the link mechanism 46, a return spring (not shown) of the tool pot 33 (described later), other return springs, weights, etc.

The pot rollers 48 are attached to each tool pot 33 at a location spaced from the holding portion 34, i.e., away from the rotation axis. The pot rollers 48 are pushed up by the lower end of the link mechanism 46 when the lower end rises. This causes the tool pot 33 to rotate towards the exchange angle Pb. The aforementioned return spring (not shown) is attached to each tool pot 33, and the tool pots 33 are biased towards the storage angle Pa by the biasing force of the return spring.

The arm-side cam 41, together with the arm 50, is displaced in the vertical direction Z relative to the link roller 45, thereby rotating the tool pot 33 via the link roller 45, the link mechanism 46, and the pot roller 48.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 22, when the arm 50 descends relative to the magazine 30, the lower part of the arm-side cam 41 displaces the link roller 45 toward the magazine 30 and raises the lower end of the link mechanism 46, thereby rotating the tool pot 33 toward the replacement angle Pb. Also, as shown in FIG. 24, when the arm 50 further descends relative to the magazine 30, the upper part of the arm-side cam 41 displaces the link roller 45 toward the arm 50 and lowers the lower end of the link mechanism 46, thereby returning the tool pot 33 to the storage angle Pa.

As shown in FIG. 29, when the arm 50 rises relative to the magazine 30, the upper part of the arm-side cam 41 displaces the link roller 45 toward the magazine 30 and raises the lower end of the link mechanism 46, thereby rotating the tool pot 33 toward the replacement angle Pb. As shown in FIG. 31, when the arm 50 further rises relative to the magazine 30, the lower part of the arm-side cam 41 displaces the link roller 45 toward the arm 50 and lowers the lower end of the link mechanism 46, thereby returning the tool pot 33 to the storage angle Pa.

Next, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The gripping interlocking mechanism 60 rotates the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side toward gripping angle Qb in conjunction with the relative descent of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30. The gripping interlocking mechanism 60 also rotates the gripping member 52 on the spindle side toward gripping angle Qb in conjunction with the relative descent of the arm 50 with respect to the spindle 215. The gripping interlocking mechanism 60 also rotates the gripping member 51 on the spindle side toward release angle Qa in conjunction with the relative rise of the arm 50 with respect to the spindle 215. The gripping interlocking mechanism 60 also rotates the gripping member 52 on the magazine 30 side toward release angle Qa in conjunction with the relative rise of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 15, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 has a magazine-side cam 61, a spindle-side cam 62, and an arm roller 64. Note that in FIG. 15, the two

gripping members

51, 52 are shown diagrammatically offset in the second direction Xa for the sake of visibility, but in reality, as described above, the two

gripping members

51, 52 partially overlap each other when viewed in the first direction Ya. However, if there is sufficient space in the second direction Xa, the two

gripping members

51, 52 may actually be installed offset in the second direction Xa, as shown in FIG. 15.

The magazine side cam 61 is attached to the frame or housing of the tool changer 100. The spindle side cam 62 is attached to the frame or housing 211 of the spindle assembly 210. One arm roller 64 is attached to each of the gripping

members

51, 52. Therefore, the arm roller 64 moves relative to the magazine side cam 61 and the spindle side cam 62 in the vertical direction Z together with the arm 50. Each gripping

member

51, 52 is biased toward the release angle Qa by a return spring, weight, its own weight, etc. Therefore, the arm roller 64 of the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side is biased toward the magazine side cam 61, and the arm roller 64 of the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side is biased toward the spindle side cam 62.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 16, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 further includes a release cam 63 and a release roller 65. The release cam 63 is provided at a position farther away from the spindle 215 than the spindle-side cam 62, and is specifically attached to the frame or housing of the tool changer 100. One release roller 65 is attached to each of the gripping

members

51, 52. The release roller 65 moves relative to the release cam 63 in the vertical direction Z together with the arm 50.

As shown in Figure 23, in conjunction with the relative descent of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30, the arm roller 64 is displaced toward the magazine 30 according to the profile of the magazine side cam 61, causing the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side to rotate toward the gripping angle Qb. Also, as shown in Figure 31, in conjunction with the relative ascent of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30, the arm roller 64 is displaced toward the arm 50 according to the profile of the magazine side cam 61, causing the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side to rotate toward the release angle Qa.

Also, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 17, in conjunction with the relative descent of the arm 50 with respect to the spindle 215, the arm roller 64 is displaced toward the spindle 215 according to the profile of the spindle-side cam 62, causing the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side to rotate toward the gripping angle Qb. Also, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 19, in conjunction with the relative rise of the arm 50 to a predetermined position with respect to the spindle 215, the arm roller 64 is displaced toward the arm 50 according to the profile of the spindle-side cam 62, causing the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side to rotate toward the release angle Qa.

As shown in FIG. 20, in conjunction with the further relative rise of the arm 50 from the aforementioned predetermined position with respect to the spindle 215, the release roller 65 is displaced toward the arm 50 according to the profile of the release cam 63, causing the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side to rotate further toward the release angle Qa. This rotation causes the arm roller 64 to move away from the spindle-side cam 62.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tool changer 100 further includes a magazine rotation device 73, an arm lifting device 75, an arm swivel device 76, and a control device 80. The magazine rotation device 73 rotates the magazine 30 around an axis in the left-right direction X. The arm lifting device 75 moves the arm 50 in the up-down direction Z. The arm swivel device 76 swivels the arm 50 around an axis in the up-down direction Z. The magazine rotation device 73, arm lifting device 75, and arm swivel device 76 are all actuators such as motors. Within the tool changer 100, the control device 80 controls each device including these actuators.

Next, the specific procedure for tool replacement based on the control by the control device 80 will be described with reference to Figures 21 to 32. As shown in Figure 21, in the initial state, the arm 50 is positioned at a "standby position W" which is the uppermost part of the stroke in the vertical direction Z. At this time, each of the gripping

members

51, 52 is positioned at a release angle Qa.

From this state, as shown in FIG. 22, the arm 50 descends. In conjunction with this descent, the tool pot 33 at the exchange position P rotates toward the exchange angle Pb, and the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side rotates toward the gripping angle Qb. Then, as shown in FIG. 23, the tool pot 33 at the exchange position P is positioned at the exchange angle Pb, and the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side is positioned at the gripping angle Qb, and the gripping member 51 grips the top of the next tool to be used Tn in the tool pot 33.

From that state, as shown in FIG. 24, the arm 50 descends further, causing the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side to remove the next-to-be-used tool Tn from the tool pot 33 at the exchange angle Pb. Then, in conjunction with the arm 50 descending further, the tool pot 33 at the exchange position P rotates toward the storage angle Pa. At this time, the top of the next-to-be-used tool Tn passes through the notch 38. Then, as shown in FIG. 25, when the tool pot 33 rotates to the storage angle Pa, the magazine 30 starts to rotate and starts the operation of moving the desired tool pot 33 that stores the previously-used tool Tp to the exchange angle Pb.

In parallel with these operations, as shown in FIG. 25, the arm 50 descends and the spindle assembly 210 rises, causing the arm 50 to descend relative to the spindle 215. In conjunction with this relative descent, the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side rotates toward the gripping angle Qb to grip the upper part of the previously used tool Tp of the spindle 215.

From that state, as shown in FIG. 26, the spindle assembly 210 rises further, that is, the arm 50 descends further relative to the spindle 215, causing the gripping member 52 on the spindle side to remove the previously used tool Tp from the spindle 215.

Next, as shown in FIG. 27, the arm 50 rotates 180° around the axis in the vertical direction Z. This rotation causes the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side and the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side to switch places. As a result, the previously used tool Tp becomes the magazine 30 side, and the next tool to be used Tn becomes the spindle 215 side. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 28, the spindle assembly 210 descends, that is, the arm 50 rises relative to the spindle 215, and the gripping member 51 on the spindle 215 side attaches the next tool to be used Tn to the spindle 215.

After that, as shown in FIG. 29, the spindle assembly 210 further descends and the arm 50 rises, causing the arm 50 to rise further relative to the spindle 215. In conjunction with this relative rise, the gripping member 51 on the spindle 215 side rotates toward the release angle Qa to release the grip on the next tool to be used Tn.

Also, as the arm 50 rises at this time, as shown in FIG. 29, the arm 50 rises relative to the magazine 30. In conjunction with this relative rise, the tool pot 33 at the exchange position P rotates toward the exchange angle Pb. Note that at this time, the operation of moving the desired tool pot 33 to the exchange position P has already been completed. Therefore, the desired tool pot 33 is disposed at the exchange position P. When the tool pot 33 rotates toward the exchange angle Pb, the upper part of the previously used tool Tp passes through the notch 38 of the rotating tool pot 33.

Then, as shown in FIG. 30, the tool pot 33 at the replacement position P is positioned at the replacement angle Pb, and the gripping member 52 on the magazine 30 side attaches the previously used tool Tp to the tool pot 33.

Then, as shown in FIG. 31, in conjunction with the arm 50 rising further, the tool pot 33 at the replacement position P rotates toward the storage angle Pa, and the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side rotates toward the release angle Qa. These rotations cause the gripping member 52 on the magazine 30 side to release its grip on the previously used tool Tp. Then, as shown in FIG. 32, in conjunction with the arm 50 rising to its original uppermost standby position W, the tool pot 33 at the replacement position P returns to the storage angle Pa.

The configuration and effects of this embodiment are summarized below.

As shown in FIG. 7, the tool pot 33 is rotatably attached to the magazine body 39 by a holding portion 34 for attaching a tool T, and the holding portion 34 also serves as the rotation axis of the tool pot 33. Therefore, the structure of the tool pot 33 is simpler than when the holding portion 34 and the rotation axis are provided separately.

The pot interlocking mechanism 40 shown in FIG. 3 rotates the tool pot 33 at the exchange position P in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30. Therefore, the tool pot 33 can be rotated between the exchange angle Pb and the storage angle Pa without a dedicated drive source for rotating the tool pot 33.

The pot interlocking mechanism 40 also rotates the tool pot 33 from the storage angle Pa to the exchange angle Pb in conjunction with the relative descent of the arm 50 to a predetermined position with respect to the magazine 30. Thereafter, the pot interlocking mechanism 40 rotates the tool pot 33 from the exchange angle Pb to the storage angle Pa in conjunction with the further relative descent of the arm 50 from the aforementioned predetermined position with respect to the magazine 30. Therefore, in conjunction with the relative descent of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30, a series of operations can be executed in which the tool pot 33 is rotated from the storage angle Pa to the exchange angle Pb and then returned to the storage angle Pa. Similarly, the series of operations can be executed in conjunction with the relative ascent of the arm 50 with respect to the magazine 30.

As shown in FIG. 6, a notch 38 is formed on the outer periphery of the tool pot 33 in the direction from the storage angle Pa toward the exchange angle Pb. Then, while the arm 50 is moving relative to the magazine 30, the tool pot 33 rotates and the upper part of the tool T passes through the notch 38. This allows the relative movement of the arm 50 relative to the magazine 30 and the rotational movement of the tool pot 33 to be largely overlapped, thereby shortening the cycle time for tool exchange. Furthermore, when rotating the tool pot 33 in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm 50 in the vertical direction Z relative to the magazine 30, even if the stroke of the relative movement of the arm 50 in the vertical direction Z is small, such a large overlap ensures a sufficiently large stroke of the rotation of the tool pot 33. Therefore, the requirement for the stroke of the relative movement of the arm 50 in the vertical direction Z relative to the magazine 30 can be reduced.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52 are configured to be rotatable in the forward and backward directions Y independently of each other, and rotate independently of each other to grip and release the tool T. Therefore, it is easier to perform other operations in parallel with the work performed by the arm 50, compared to a case in which the tool T can only be gripped and released at the same time.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 24, the control device 80 removes the next-to-use tool Tn from the tool pot 33 at the replacement position P using the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side, and then removes the previously-used tool Tp from the spindle 215 using the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side. In parallel with the operation of removing the previously-used tool Tp, the magazine 30 is rotated to perform an operation of placing the desired tool pot 33 that stores the previously-used tool Tp at the replacement position P. This allows the previously-used tool Tp to be quickly stored in the desired tool pot 33.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 12, when viewed in the vertical direction Z, the first and second

gripping members

51, 52 are offset from each other in the first direction Ya, and the gripping portions 54 are installed facing opposite sides in the second direction Xa. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, when viewed in the first direction Ya, the first and second

gripping members

51, 52 can be arranged so that they partially overlap each other. This allows the arm 50 to be compactly arranged in the second direction Xa while avoiding interference between the first gripping member 51 and the second gripping member 52.

If the arm 50 shown in FIG. 2 were to be rotated slightly in the vertical direction Z so that the gripping portion 54 could be pressed against the tool T to grip the tool T or pulled away from the tool T to release the grip of the tool T, the following problem would arise. That is, the rotation of the arm 50 must be firmly stopped before the arm 50 can be moved relative to the magazine 30 or the spindle 215 in the vertical direction Z. This makes it difficult to overlap other operations, such as the lifting and lowering of the arm 50, with the acceleration and deceleration operations for gripping and releasing the tool T. This makes it difficult to shorten the cycle time for tool replacement.

In this respect, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, each of the gripping

members

51, 52 is configured to be rotatable around the first direction Ya perpendicular to the axial length direction of the spindle 215, and in addition, a gripping interlocking mechanism 60 is provided as shown in FIG. 15. The gripping interlocking mechanism 60 rotates the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm 50 in the vertical direction Z with respect to the magazine 30 to grip and release the tool T. Also, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 rotates the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm 50 in the vertical direction Z with respect to the spindle 215 to grip and release the tool T. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the arm 50 around the vertical direction Z in order to grip and release the tool T. Naturally, therefore, there is no need to stop the rotation completely and then move the arm 50 in the vertical direction Z relative to the magazine 30 or the spindle 215. Therefore, other operations of the arm 50, such as raising and lowering the arm 50, can be overlapped with the rotational operation of the gripping

members

51 and 52, i.e., the acceleration and deceleration operations for gripping and releasing the grip of the tool T. This allows the cycle time for tool replacement to be shortened.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 16, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 includes a spindle-side cam 62, an arm roller 64, a release cam 63, and a release roller 65. As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 19, when the arm 50 rises relative to the spindle 215 to a predetermined position, the arm roller 64 displaces according to the profile of the spindle-side cam 62, causing the gripping member 52 to rotate toward the release angle Qa. As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 20, when the arm 50 further rises relative to the spindle 215 from the aforementioned predetermined position, the release roller 65 displaces according to the profile of the release cam 63, causing the gripping member 52 to further rotate toward the release angle Qa. This causes the arm roller 64 to move away from the spindle-side cam 62. Therefore, when the gripping member 52 is at the release angle Qa, the spindle-side cam 62 does not receive force from the arm roller 64. At this time, the release roller 65 abuts against the release cam 63, but since the release cam 63 is farther away from the spindle 215 than the spindle-side cam 62, external forces are less likely to be applied to the spindle 215 than when the arm roller 64 abuts against the spindle-side cam 62. Therefore, the external forces applied to the spindle 215 during machining of the spindle 215 can be suppressed, and adverse effects of external forces on machining accuracy and machined surface quality can be suppressed.

[Second embodiment]
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 33 to 37. Note that the following embodiments, including this embodiment, will be described based on a specific embodiment that precedes it, with a focus on differences from the previous embodiment, and descriptions of the same or similar aspects to the embodiment on which the embodiment is based will be omitted as appropriate. This embodiment will be described based on the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 33, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 has a spring 67, a gripping side stopper 68a, a release side stopper 68b, and a rotation mechanism 69. Note that in this embodiment, only the gripping member 52 is described, but the same is true for the other gripping member 51.

The spring 67 has one end attached to the arm body 59 and the other end attached to the gripping member 52, and the change from the natural state is greatest at a predetermined midpoint between the release angle Qa and the gripping angle Qb. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 35, when the gripping member 52 is at the gripping angle Qb side of the midpoint, the spring 67 biases the gripping member 52 toward the gripping angle Qb. The gripping side stopper 68b restricts the gripping member 52 from rotating further when it has rotated to the gripping angle Qb. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 37, when the gripping member 52 is at the release angle Qa side of the midpoint, the spring 67 biases the gripping member 52 toward the release angle Qa. The release side stopper 68a restricts the gripping member 52 from rotating further when it has rotated to the release angle Qa.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the spring 67 is a pull spring, and its length is maximized at the midpoint. However, instead of this, for example, the spring 67 may be a compression spring, and its length may be minimized at the midpoint.

As shown in FIG. 33, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 has a gripping cam 62b and a release cam 62a aligned in the first direction Ya, instead of the spindle side cam 62 in the first embodiment. Also, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60 has a gripping roller 64b and a release roller 64a aligned in the front-to-rear direction Y, instead of the arm roller 64 and release roller 65 in the first embodiment. The rotation mechanism 69 includes the gripping cam 62b, release cam 62a, gripping roller 64b, and release roller 64a.

The gripping roller 64b and the release roller 64a are attached to the gripping member 52, and move together with the arm 50 in the vertical direction Z relative to the gripping cam 62b and the release cam 62a.

As shown in FIG. 34, when the arm 50 descends relative to the main shaft 215, the gripping roller 64b abuts against the gripping cam 62b, thereby rotating the gripping member 52 toward the gripping angle Qb from the midpoint described above. The gripping member 52 then rotates to the gripping angle Qb due to the biasing force of the spring 67. At this time, as shown in FIG. 35, the gripping member 52 is biased by the gripping side stopper 68b, and the gripping roller 64b and the release roller 64a move away from the gripping cam 62b and the release cam 62a, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 36, when the arm 50 rises relative to the main shaft 215, the release roller 64a abuts against the release cam 62a, thereby rotating the gripping member 52 toward the release angle Qa from the midpoint described above. The gripping member 52 then rotates to the release angle Qa due to the biasing force of the spring 67. At this time, as shown in FIG. 37, the gripping member 52 is biased by the release side stopper 68a, and the gripping roller 64b and the release roller 64a move away from the gripping cam 62b and the release cam 62a, respectively.

The gripping interlocking mechanism 60 also has a gripping cam and a release cam similar to the gripping cam 62b and the release cam 62a described above on the magazine 30 side, instead of the magazine side cam 61 in the first embodiment. However, for example, the gripping cam on the magazine 30 side may be read as a "magazine side cam", and the gripping cam 62b on the spindle 215 side may be read as a "spindle side cam". And the gripping roller may be read as an "arm roller". In other words, in this embodiment, as in the case shown diagrammatically in FIG. 15, a configuration is established in which the "arm roller" of the gripping member 51 on the magazine 30 side abuts against the "magazine side cam", and the "arm roller" of the gripping member 52 on the spindle 215 side abuts against the "spindle side cam".

As described above, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 37, when the gripping member 52 is arranged at the release angle Qa, the gripping member 52 is biased against the release side stopper 68b. Therefore, the gripping cam 62b and the release cam 62a do not receive force from the gripping roller 64b and the release roller 64a. This makes it possible to suppress the external force applied to the spindle 215 during machining of the spindle 215, thereby suppressing the adverse effects of external force on machining accuracy and machined surface quality.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described based on the first embodiment with reference to Figures 38 to 41. However, this embodiment may be implemented based on the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 38, the tool exchange device 100 of this embodiment includes a housing 90 having an opening 95 formed on the front side. The housing 90 contains the magazine 30, the pot interlocking mechanism 40, the arm 50, the gripping interlocking mechanism 60, the spindle assembly 210, and the like. A door 96 is attached to the opening 95.

Hereinafter, the operation of taking in a tool T other than all the tools including the tool T attached to the tool pot 33 and the tool T attached to the spindle 215 into the tool exchange device 100 will be referred to as "taking in". Also, the operation of taking out one of the tools from the tool exchange device 100 will be referred to as "removing". Note that, although the following describes the case where "taking in" and "removing" are performed using the gripping member 52, "taking in" and "removing" may also be performed using the gripping member 51.

As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 39, during "taking in," the control device 80 rotates the arm 50 to a predetermined access angle A, and positions the gripping member 52 that is not holding any tool T closer to the opening 95 than before the rotation. On the other hand, during "removal," one of the gripping members 52 grips the tool T to be removed from the tool exchange device 100. Thereafter, the arm 50 is rotated to a predetermined access angle A, and the tool T is positioned closer to the opening 95 than before the rotation.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 40, the tool exchange device 100 has a display unit 120 and an input unit 130. The input unit 130 has a tool attachment/detachment mode selection key 131, a pot number selection key 132, an import/removal selection key 133, and a work completion key 134. The tool attachment/detachment mode selection key 131 is a key for selecting the tool attachment/detachment mode. The pot number selection key 132 is a key for selecting one of the multiple tool pots 33 contained in the magazine 30. The attachment/detachment selection key 133 is a key for selecting either "import" or "removal."

Next, we will explain the procedure for "importing" and "extracting" with reference to Figure 41. Note that in the following, the "S" before the numbers stands for step.

First, when the user presses the tool attachment/detachment mode selection key 131, in S1 the control device 80 causes the display unit 120 to display the pot number selection key 132. The user operates the pot number selection key 132 to select a pot number and select one of the multiple tool pots 33. Then, in S2 the control device 80 causes the display unit 120 to display the import/remove selection key 133. The user operates the import/remove selection key to select "import" or "remove."

If the user selects "take-in", in S11, the control device 80 rotates the arm 50 to the access angle A. This positions the gripping portion 54 of the gripping member 52 that is not holding any tool T near the opening 95. Next, in 12, the control device 80 displays the work completion key 134 on the display unit 120. Thereafter, the user attaches the tool T related to the "take-in" to the gripping portion 54 of the gripping member 52 through the opening 95, and then presses the work completion key 134. Thereafter, in S13, the control device 80 stores the tool T attached to the arm 50 in the selected tool pot 33. Thereafter, in S14, the control device 80 moves the arm 50 to the standby position W. With the above, "take-in" is completed.

On the other hand, if the user selects "remove" in step S2, then in step S21 the control device 80 causes one of the gripping members 52 to grip the tool T in the selected tool pot 33. Next, in step S22, the control device 80 rotates the arm 50 to the access angle A to place the tool T near the opening 95. Next, in step S23, the control device 80 causes the display unit 120 to display a work completion key. Thereafter, the user retrieves the tool T gripped by the gripping member 52 from the opening 95, and then presses the work completion key 134. Then, in step S24, the control device 80 moves the arm 50 to the standby position W. This completes "remove."

According to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 38, even if the opening 95 is on the front side of the housing 90 and there is no opening near the magazine 30, the user can easily take in and remove the tool T from the opening 95.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described based on the first embodiment with reference to Figures 42 to 44. However, this embodiment may be implemented based on the second or third embodiment.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 42, the control device 80 includes a weight acquisition unit 85 and a speed control unit 88. The weight acquisition unit 85 acquires the weight of the previously used tool Tp and the next used tool Tn. The speed control unit 88 controls the movement speed of the arm 50 based on the acquired weight. Specifically, when the acquired weight is smaller than a predetermined value, the speed control unit 88 makes the movement speed of the arm 50 faster than when the acquired weight is larger.

The control device 80 further has a weight memory unit 81. The weight memory unit 81 stores the weight of the tool T in association with the number of the tool pot 33. The weight acquisition unit 85 calculates the weight of the previously used tool Tp and the next tool to be used Tn based on this storage. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 43, first, in S51, the weight acquisition unit 85 acquires the weight data of the previously used tool Tp and the next tool to be used Tn and calculates the weight. Next, in S52, the speed control unit 88 controls the movement speed of the arm 50 based on the calculated weight.

Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the weight memory unit 81 described above, the control device 80 may have a load detection unit 82. The load detection unit 82 monitors the load of at least one of the arm lifting device 75 and the arm rotating device 76. The weight acquisition unit 85 calculates the weight of the previously used tool Tp and the next tool to be used Tn based on the load. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 44, first, in S61, the load detection unit 82 detects the load of the arm lifting device 75 or the arm rotating device 76. Next, in S62, the weight acquisition unit 85 calculates the weight of the previously used tool Tp and the next tool to be used Tn based on the load. Next, the speed control unit 88 controls the movement speed of the arm 50 based on the calculated weight.

The present embodiment can solve the following problem. It is necessary to move the arm 50 within a range that does not apply excessive load to the arm lifting device 75 or the arm rotating device 76. However, if the movement speed of the arm 50 is set by always assuming the maximum possible weight of the next tool Tn and the previous tool Tp, the movement speed of the arm 50 will be unnecessarily slow, and the cycle time for tool change will be unnecessarily long. In this regard, in the present embodiment, when the weight of the next tool Tn and the previous tool Tp is small, the movement speed of the arm 50 is made faster than when the weight is large. This makes it possible to increase the movement speed of the arm 50 within a range that does not apply excessive load to the arm lifting device 75 or the arm rotating device 76. This makes it possible to efficiently shorten the cycle time for tool change.

[Other embodiments]
The above-described embodiments can be modified, for example, as follows. In the case where the external force on the main shaft 215 is not a significant problem, the removal cam 63 and the removal roller 65 may be eliminated in the first, third, and fourth embodiments. In the cases where the structure of the tool pot 33 is not a significant problem even if it is complicated in each embodiment, the holding portion 34 and the rotating shaft may be provided separately in the tool pot 33.

　　According to the above embodiment, the tool exchange device described in Supplementary Notes 1 and 2 below can be realized.

[Appendix 1] A tool exchange device (100) that removes a previously used tool (Tp) as one of a plurality of tools (T) from a spindle (215) of a machine tool (200) and attaches a next-use tool (Tn) as the tool (T) different from the previously used tool (Tp) to the spindle (215),
a magazine (30) having a rotatable magazine body (39) and a plurality of tool pots (33) attached to the magazine body (39), each of the tool pots (33) being capable of attaching a tool (T), and one of the plurality of tool pots (33) being disposed at a replacement position (P) by rotation of the magazine body (39);
an arm (50) having first and second gripping members (51, 52) each rotatable about a direction (Ya) perpendicular to the axial length direction of the spindle (215), and removing the next-to-be-used tool (Tn) from the tool pot (33) at the replacement position (P) and attaching it to the spindle (215) by using one of the gripping members, and removing the previously-used tool (Tp) from the spindle (215) by using the other gripping member and attaching it to the tool pot (33) at the replacement position (P);
a gripping interlocking mechanism (60) which rotates the gripping member on the magazine (30) side in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm (50) with respect to the magazine (30) to grip and release the tool (T), and rotates the gripping member on the spindle (215) side in conjunction with the relative movement of the arm (50) with respect to the spindle (215) to grip and release the tool (T);
A tool changer (100) comprising:

[Note 2] The gripping interlocking mechanism (60) includes a magazine-side cam (61), a spindle-side cam (62), and an arm roller (64) that is attached to each of the gripping members (51, 52) and moves relatively with respect to the magazine-side cam (61) and the spindle-side cam (62) together with the arm (50),
The arm roller (64) of the gripping member on the magazine (30) side abuts against the magazine-side cam (61) to rotate the gripping member on the magazine (30),
The arm roller (64) of the gripping member on the spindle (215) side abuts against the spindle-side cam (62) to rotate the gripping member on the spindle (215).
2. The tool changer (100) of claim 1.

30 Magazine 33 Tool pot 39 Magazine body 50 Arm 51 First gripping member 52 Second gripping member 60 Grip interlocking mechanism 61 Magazine side cam 62 Spindle side cam 62b Grip cam (spindle side cam)
64 Arm roller 64b Grip roller (arm roller)
100 Tool exchange device 200 Machine tool 215 Spindle P Exchange position T Tool Tn Next tool to be used Tp Previous tool to be used

Claims

A tool changing device for removing a previously used tool as one of a plurality of tools from a spindle of a machine tool and attaching a next-use tool as the tool different from the previously used tool to the spindle, comprising:
a magazine including a rotatable magazine body and a plurality of tool pots attached to the magazine body, each of the tool pots being capable of mounting a tool therein, and one of the plurality of tool pots being disposed at a replacement position by rotation of the magazine body;
an arm having first and second gripping members each rotatable about a direction perpendicular to the axial length of the spindle, the arm removing the next-to-be-used tool from the tool pot at the replacement position and attaching it to the spindle by one of the gripping members, and removing the previously-used tool from the spindle by the other gripping member and attaching it to the tool pot at the replacement position;
a gripping interlocking mechanism which rotates the gripping member on the magazine side in conjunction with a relative movement of the arm with respect to the magazine to grip and release the tool, and rotates the gripping member on the spindle side in conjunction with a relative movement of the arm with respect to the spindle to grip and release the tool;
A tool changer comprising:
the gripping interlocking mechanism includes a magazine side cam, a spindle side cam, and an arm roller attached to each of the gripping members and moving together with the arm relatively to the magazine side cam and the spindle side cam,
the arm roller of the gripping member on the magazine side abuts against the magazine side cam to rotate the gripping member on the magazine side,
the arm roller of the gripping member on the spindle side abuts against the spindle side cam to rotate the gripping member on the spindle side;
The tool changer of claim 1 .